Folding box.



' S. R. VAN HOHNE.

FoL' DDDDDDD l APPLICATION FILED 3.

L LQ3?,24 Patented Aug. 21,1917.

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FOLDING BOX.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20..l9l3. LQWAM, Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

/Z .10 46 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

narran santas ramena ernten.

SAMUEL R. VAN HOB/NE,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO SEFTON MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, OF MILIJBROOK, NEW YORK, A COR- PORATION OF NEW YORK.

FOLDING BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, '1917.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, SAMUEL It. VAN IIonivn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to folding boxes made of paste-board, corrugated board, or the like, and the object thereof is to provide a box of this character with simple and efiicicnt locking means for the flaps thereof.

In the drawing, Figure lis a top plan view of a box embodying my invention; Fig. 2 a perspective view of the upper portion of such box illustrating the method of closing the flaps and inserting the new locks in place; Fig. 3 a sectional elevation on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, but showing the large or main flaps in different positions, and Figs. a 5, G and 7 different views of a modified form of construction, Fig. l being a plan view of the blank; Fig. 5 a top plan view of the box partially folded; Fig. 6 a vertical section of the box partially folded; and Fig. 7 a perspective view of the top of the box illustrating the last act in the folding operation.

Referring to the embodiment of my invention as herein shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the box comprises a series of four side walls l, hinged or connected together and made of any suitable material. Each end of the box is similarly pro-vided with closure flaps so that the description of one end of the box will suffice for both. There are in the present instance four flaps at each end, comprising the two opposite flaps 2, 2, which are similar to the twoopposite flaps 3 and 4: which, while opposite to each other and of the same general dimensions, differ in the respects hereinafter explained.

The two flaps 2, 2 are each provided with slits 2"L formed by cutting the iiaps in the manner clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 at a point adjacent their hinge lines and intermediate the length thereof.

The flap 3 is provided at each side edge, that is, at each of the edges perpendicular to its hinge line, with a hooked locking tongue 5 which is of the peculiar shape illustrated in the drawing, the same being hinged at one end to its Hap but separated therefrom by the cut a as to the remainder of its length, with the result that the portion of such flap adjacent the cut extends backwardly toward the hinge line along and parallel with the edge of the flap. This flap is also provided with slits 31 in which are inserted the corner tongues 4a of the flap 4. In practice the entire box is made from a single blank, and in cutting and scoring the blank the locking tongues 5 are taken from the body of the flaps 2 which accounts for the recesses shown therein. In Fig. 1 the bottom end flaps are shown as closed, while the top end aps are shown as open.

In closing either end of the box the two 'opposite flaps 2 are first folded inwardly to the position shown in Fig 2. 'Ihe flap 3 is thereupon folded over but in this operation it is itself folded or bent back along its central longitudinal axis in the manner shown in Fig. 2, with the result that the locking tongues 5 parta-ke of the vertical position shown so as to readily enter the slits 2a. After the tongues have entered or partially entered the slits the flap 3 is then folded down to horizontal position whereby the tongues hook backwardly through the slits and assume the position shown in Fig. 3, at which time an edge of each tongue bears firmly against the under side of a flap 2 along its hinge line. rIhe flap 3 is thereby held or lockedL in position but not against the application of positive force, as the flap may be opened by reversing the described operation. After the flap 3 is in its flat condition the other flap 4 is folded over and the tongues 4 inserted in the slits 3a. The box is now double locked, being first locked by the locking tongues 5 and being secondly locked by the tongues 4a.

In Figs. 4L, 5, 6 and 7, I have illustrated a modified form of construction embodying the same invention in its broader aspect. In this form the box is made of the blank illustrated in Fig. 4, the resulting box being a square one, although as obvious the box may have any desired size and proportions. By suitable cutting and scoring the box is divided into the four side walls 6, 7 8 and 9. The wall 7 has similar rectangular flaps 10 hinged to two opposite edges and each of these flaps has hinged on its opposite side edges corner flaps or extensions 11 which are of sector form. On the hinge lines between the flaps 10 and 11 and intermediate the length of such lines are short slots 12 and in the body of each of the flaps 10 near their inner hinge lines are the ico irregular shaped slits 13. The flaps or extensions 11 are separated from the walls 6 and 8 by the cut lines 14. One of the outermost walls 9 is hinged to two opposite edges, similar flaps 15 terminating at their outer free edges in the pairs of tongues 16. This wall 9 `also has on its outermost edge a short hinged flap 9L which is adapted to be pasted or glued to the side wall 6. rlhe two iiaps 15 are each provided intermediate the length of two opposite sides with hooked locking tongues 17 similar to the ltongues 5 in the first described construction. The box illustrated thus has similar top and bottom closures although as will be understood my invention may be used in only one of the closures although I prefer that it shall be used with respect to both.

The box is formed or assembled from the blank shown in Fig. l by attaching the walls 9 together by means of the pasting flap 9a, thereby forming the body of the box. In order to form the bottom of the box one of the walls 10 is now folded over with .its segmental flaps 11 inserted within the box, as shown in Fig. 6. One of the fla-ps 15 isthereupon folded over and its locking tongues inserted in the slits 12 in the same manner as hereinbefo-re described and as clearly illustrated 1n Fig. 7 wherein it is seen that the flap 15 is bent back so as to bring the tongues in insertible position with respect to the slots 12. The flap is thereupon folded downwardly fiat upon the'flap 10 and the tongues 16 are inserted in the slits 13. The box now partakes of the form illustrated in Fig. 5, being ready vto have its contents introduced and the top closure is Vmanipulated in the same manner as the bottom closure.

I claim:

1. A box comprising side walls hinged together and inwardly folding end closure flaps hinged thereto, a slit being formed in and along the hinge line between one Copies of this patent may be obtained for vfive cents each, by addressing the flap and the side wall adjacent thereto, and deg asig pres .reno uipogi deg puooes n at right angles thereto having a locking tongue hinged to its side edge and extending rearwardly from the hinge line ofY the tongue along the side edge of the flap toward the hinge line of such flap, whereby the locking tongue may be hooked back through the slit in said iirst flap when said second flap is bent to throw the free end of the tongue forwardly into the slit.

2. A box comprising side walls hinged together and inwardly folding end closure iiaps hinged thereto, one of said flaps being formed with a hinge line lying along the top of one of the side walls and a slit being formed in and along' said hinge line, and a second Hap arranged to fold over said first flap having one side edge adjacent said hinge line when said flaps are folded and having a locking tongue hinged to its side edge and extending rearwardly from the hinge line of the tongue along the side edge of the flap toward the hinge line of such flap, whereby the locking tongue may be hooked back through the slit in said rst Hap when said second flap is bent to throw the free end of the tongue forwardly into the slit.

3. A box comprising walls connected together and flaps hinged thereto, one of said flaps having a slit formed in and along its hinge line, and a second iiap arranged to fold over said first flap having a locking tongue hinged to its side edge and extending rearwardly from the hinge line of the tongue along the side edge of the flap toward the hinge line of such flap, whereby the locking tongue may be hooked back through the slit in said first Hap when said second flap is bent to throw the free end of the tongue forwardly into the slit.

SAMUEL R. VAN HORNE. Vitnesses:

A. E. KIEFER. G. S. SCHMIDT.

Commissioner of Patents,

VVashingtonJ D. C. 

